Community groups in the Avon Valley have joined forces under a Federal Government plan to tackle the scourge of ice, drugs and alcohol at a grass-roots level, delivering support to help those battling drug and alcohol addiction.
Forty Local Drug Action Teams (LDAT) have been funded to tackle the challenges caused by ice and other drugs.
Federal Member for Pearce, Christian Porter said Northam, Wundowie, Grass Valley, Copley, Bakers Hill, and Clackline areas will receive an initial $10,000.
“The group will be focusing on engaging their community to better understand preventative approaches to alcohol and drug harm – it’s about using partnerships to strengthen the resilience of community and to foster connectedness and optimism,” he said.
Across Australia, more than 300 partnerships have been formed between local councils, service providers, schools, police, sporting groups and non-government organisations to bring these teams together to prevent and reduce the harms of drugs.
The first 40 Local Drug Action Teams rolled out in April this year and delivered local drug and alcohol forums for parents and students, mentoring and professional training for at-risk young people, school based education programs, and promoted the role of local sporting clubs.
Interested community groups can apply for the next application round, which opens in late 2017.
Information can be found on the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website www.adf.org.au/ldat.